UPDATED! As Blizzard Hits the Northeast, Broadway Shows Still Playing Feb. 8-9

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08 Feb 2013

A classic "nor'easter" storm barreling up the U.S. East Coast and merging with another storm drifting in from the Midwest — commingling with Arctic high-pressure to the north — is creating blizzard conditions and dumping as much as 10 inches of snow in New York City, and up to 20 inches in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Feb. 8-9.

Depending on which forecaster you most trust, New York City is expecting 4-10 inches of snow, with the worst of it — including wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour — Friday night and into Saturday morning. Clearer skies appear later Saturday, and Sunday is expected to be sunny.

As of 5 PM Friday, Feb. 8, Broadway is still expected to be open for business Feb. 8-9, according to The Broadway League, the trade organization of theatres and producers. Most Off-Broadway shows are also going on as scheduled.

"As of now, all Broadway shows will play as scheduled," according to the League, which updated its website at 2 PM. "For information about returns and exchanges, theatregoers should contact their point of purchase. Updates will be posted on BroadwayLeague.com."

Officials are cautioning drivers to stay off the roads during the worst of the storm. Power outages and commuter rail service to points outside of Manhattan may be affected by the storm, depending on precipitation.

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If you foresee a commuting issue, consult point of purchase to inquire about exchange possibilities.

Apparently anticipating some cancelled reservations due to the snow this weekend, Off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company on East 13th Street is offering $35 rush tickets for its Feb. 8-10 performances of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical Passion. (Visit the box office and have cash or credit card. The discount is also available online with promotional code SNOWDAY at classicstage.org.)

Roundabout Theatre Company is also offering a hot deal on a cold weekend: See Broadway's Picnic or The Mystery of Edwin Drood or Off-Broadway's Talley's Folly Feb. 8-9 for only $20 when you purchase tickets at the box offices of the American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and the Laura Pels Theatre (respectively) when you show your MTA MetroCard. The Friday evening first preview of Talley's Folly has been cancelled and moved to 2 PM Saturday.

In general with these weather events, Broadway usually follows the old entertainment rule: "The show must go on." There is still a population of tourists and New Yorkers eager to take in a play or musical — or take advantage of the possibility that some hard-to-get tickets might be easier to snag with fewer theatregoers around.

Playbill will provide updates to this story as it develops.

See Playbill.com's photos of the theatre district after the December 2010 storm that covered parts of the New York area in up to 20 inches of snow: